Ivan Lewis calls on Andrew Mitchell to honour aid commitment

This weekend Shadow DfID Secretary Ivan Lewis MP wrote to International Development Secretary Andrew Mitchell MP urging him to ensure that the Government follows through on its promise to enshrine the UK’s commitment to spend 0.7% of GNI on international aid in law.

DfID’s Departmental business plan committed to enshrine in law our commitment to spend 0.7% of national income as official development assistance (ODA) from 2013, as soon as Parliamentary time allows. But as we come towards the Coalition’s second
Queen’s speech after a prolonged two year legislative session this commitment has still not been fulfilled.

As you are aware I wrote to you in December guaranteeing Labour’s support for the legislation in the Commons and Lords providing sufficient time was made available to ensure proper parliamentary scrutiny. This offer remains open and I hope that we can work together to bring forward the Bill early in the new parliament.

You can read the letter in full here, and read the Observer on Sunday report on the matter here.